Dallas start-up sees solid growth at retail with eye-catching personal safety product line

DALLAS, Aug. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- It all started when Andi Atteberry's dad kept buying her keychain pepper spray while she was in college.  He thought he was doing his job as a good dad to protect his daughter – but the problem was that the product was ugly. Boring. So she never carried it. The Atteberry family joked that if someone would just make pepper spray pink and sparkly (and put it in a nice package) – that girls would actually carry it, and in turn, get more engaged in their personal safety.  Then her dad thought of the name blingsting and years later … after Atteberry grew tired of working her 9-5, a new start-up was born. 

"Once my dad thought of the cheeky name, I knew I had to test the idea.  I knew absolutely nothing about anything having to do with starting a business, or manufacturing … but what I did know is how girls think.  And I couldn't believe how wrong the other pepper spray brands were getting it. Girls love sparkles, nice packaging, and every girl thinks about her safety – I knew if I could bring those together then it would sell,"  says 38-year old Atteberry.

And sell it does.  Since blingsting's launch in 2013, the company has seen record growth year over year, including a forecasted 110% increase in revenue from 2017.  The line now includes not only sparkly pepper spray, but a full line of safety products.

Much of the growth is attributed to securing valuable national air-time with Home Shopping Network, and being picked up by retailers like Barnes and Noble College, to a network of thousands of independents. Atteberry also attributes attacks on women and subsequent 24-7 media coverage to generating more interest across the board.

Co-founder Gabe Mazzone says, "We started with a production run of 5000 units and started knocking on doors, before long we were picked up not only by Ace Hardware but also by many retailers who had never entertained the idea of carrying pepper spray."

And the company's founders are just getting started. "I see a brand that encompasses everything about living a lifestyle based around being happy, healthy, safe, and cute. They are not and should never be considered mutually exclusive!" says Atteberry.

www.blingsting.com 
646.719.0640
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SOURCE blingsting

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